- Disney announced Tuesday that its streaming service, Disney Plus, had gained 26.5 million subscribers since launching November 12.
- Hulu now has 30.4 million subscribers.
- Netflix has 167 million subscribers worldwide and 60 million in the US, but its US growth came in below projections in the US in Q4 2019.
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Disney Plus is off to an impressive start.
Disney said in its Q1 earnings report on Tuesday that the streaming service, which launched on November 12, had 26.5 million subscribers. It's the first official subscriber number the company has revealed since it said Disney Plus gained 10 million sign-ups after its first day.
The success of Disney Plus was likely boosted by its "Star Wars" live-action TV series, "The Mandalorian" (with help from Baby Yoda). It was the most in-demand streaming series in the world, according to data company Parrot Analytics, before being topped by Netflix's "The Witcher."
For comparison, Netflix has 167 million subscribers worldwide and 60 million in the US as of its Q4 2019 earnings report last month, making it the streaming leader by a wide margin. But while it exceeded expectations internationally, adding 8.3 million subscribers outside the US in Q4 2019, the company came in below projections in the US, adding just 420,000 paid net subscribers in Q4. Disney Plus could have bit into Netflix's US growth.
Disney Plus is only in a handful of international territories, including the Netherlands, Australia, and New Zealand. It's set to launch in more territories, including the UK, Germany, and Ireland, on March 24.
Hulu, Disney's other streaming service that it offers in a bundle with Disney Plus and ESPN Plus, had 30.4 million US subscribers, the company said. Disney announced last week that Hulu CEO Randy Freer was stepping down, as the Mouse House takes greater control of the platform. Hulu's leadership will report to Disney's direct-to-consumer and international division, which is led by Kevin Mayer.
One of Disney's streaming war foes, Apple TV Plus, also launched in November, but the company has not announced any subscriber numbers. Apple CEO Tim Cook did say last week that the service was "off to a rousing start," and audience demand data for its original shows, provided by Parrot Analytics, backs that up. Six Apple originals were among the top 10 streaming premieres in the US in Q4 2019.
The streaming war will only heat up from this point on, as WarnerMedia's HBO Max and NBCUniversal's Peacock launch this spring.
Mathias Döpfner, CEO of Insider Inc.'s parent company, Axel Springer, is a Netflix board member.
